Apparatus for investigating an electrical gyroscopic firing-gear



A. VON APPEN.

APPARATUS FOR INVESTIGATING AN ELECTRICAL GYROSCOPIC FIRING GEAR. APPLICATION FlLfD DEC. 6. 1920.

1,398,828, Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

A. VON APPEN. APPARATUS FOR INVESTIGATING AN ELECTRICAL GYROSCOPlC-FIRING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED m-ic. 6, 1920. 1,398,828.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

4 C a a 6 ,A. VON APPEN APPARATUS FOR I NVESTIGATING AN ELECTRICAL GYROSCOPIC FIRING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED use. 6, 1920.

1,398,828, v Patented N0v.- 2 9, 1921 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Fig.3.

UNITED snar -E si F I C E AUGUST VON APPEN, or KIEL, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. naurr ax'rrmv- GESELLSCHAFT, 0F ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR INVESTIGATING AN ELECTRICAL GYROSCOPZC FIRING-GEAR.

Application filed December 6, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUeUsT voN Armin, residing at Kiel, Germany, a citizen of the German Republic, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Investigating an Electrical Gyroscopic Firing-Gear, (for which I have filed application in Germany, filed Jan. 2, 1919,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to arrangements for testing an electrical gyroscopic firing apparatus, which however are also suitable for practice purposes and in which the result of the testing operation is automatically inclicated. Heretofore in arrangements of this kind the member which records the result of the testing operation is placed in the muzzle of the corresponding gun barrel. The disadvantages of this arrangement are that the several parts, particularly at high elevations, are only accessible with difficulty, that furthermore (also in the case of turret guns) the testing operation can only be carried out in favorable weather and when there are two guns in one turret only a single barrel can be subjected to the testing operation at a time.

According to the present invention these disadvantages are eliminated by the fact that the above mentioned member is placed on the breech part of the gun barrel.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a construction of the invention in the form in which it is used if only a single gun barrel is to be tested.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section. of the arrangement,

Fig. 2 shows the same View as Fig. 1, with the interposition of an auxiliary arrangement necessary for the testing operation and Fig. 3 is an axial longitudinal section, on a larger scale, of the member placed on the breech part of the gun barrel.

On one of the trunnions a of the gun barrel A is pivotally mounted an attachment arm B: which arm carries the gyroscope casing C, which is provided with a firing tongue 0 and is adjustable to the angle of elevation corresponding to the range of the target independently of the gun barrel by means of aworm (4 which gears with a toothed sector 6 on the attachment arm B. On the shaft 0 which is to be stabilized by the gyroscope (not shown) is mounted a sighting telescope C and a second firing tongue Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Serial No. 428,755.

0, which is adapted to be brought into contact with the firing tongue 0 and is auto matically adjustable to the angle of preliminary ignition dependent on the total delay and the speed of firing. The firing tongues On the breech a of the gun barrel in (see.

Fig. 3) there is mounted so as to movelongitudinally in a cylindrical guide piece a attached to a base plate a a bolt H which works againstthe pressure of a spring J the pressure of which can be regulated within small limits by means of a screw cap a (see Fig. In a cylindrical boring in the bolt H, which will be termed a centrifugal bolt, is contained a bolt K provided with a point which is movable longitudinally against the pressure of a weak spring L. The centrifugal bolt H has a stem 7L which passes through the base plate a on which is fixed a stop 7& which limits the stroke of the centrifugal bolt. The stem ]t is in positive connection by means of a counterbalanced lever a and a pivotal connection a. a 0;"

with a trigger lever (i which is adjustable from the firing magnet (4 The lever a is acted on at its lower end by a tension spring E. one end of which is attached to a holder (0 provided on the base plate a and the other end thereof to a spindle F, which spindle F is carried in a bearing bracket mounted on the lever a and can be moved the aid of a screw nut f for the purpose of altering the tension of the spring E. On a sector-shaped guide rib M described concentrically with the axis of the trunnions is mounted to move longitudinally a holder N, in which is rotatably mounted an interchangeable roller P over which paper is stretched (see Fig. 1) and upon the external surface thereof bears a stylus a" detachably attached to the holder N. The guide rib M with the roller P is so arranged in space that when the gun barrel is at an elevation which corresponds to the particular position of the holder N the bolt K (see Fig. is

pposite the roller P and in such a way that the axes of these parts K and P are at right angles to each other.

Instead. of the roller P an interrupter Q may be inserted in the holder N (see Fig. 2),

. which interrupter has two circuit closing de- .(see

interrupter vices 9 and q one of which (9 is stationary and the other (9 mounted on the one end of a bi armed lever 9 a spring Q4 tending to hold the two circuit closing devices in contact with each other. arranged that its free end 9 is situated exactly opposite the bolt K (see Fig. 3) when the gun barrel is in a corresponding position and in this position the distance of the bolt K from the end 9 of the leveris equal to the distance which the bolt K is from the external surface of the roller 1? in the case of the arrangement shown in Fig.1. The Q) is brought into connection with a chronograph R. Over two rollers r which are driven by a clockwork movement (not shown) runs a paper strip W, on which bears a stylus is made in the form of an inverted 'T- shaped carrier 1 which is movable longitudinally at right angles to the direction of movement of the paper strip r against the action of a spring T The cross bar 0 of the carrier is made of iron and is mounted opposite an electromagnet 1, which latter is placed in a second circuit supplied from a source of continuous current and in which second circuit is also placed the interrupter Q. This arrangement of connections of the previously mentioned circuit differs from the arrangement of connections illustrated by Fig. 1 when the auxiliary arrangement of the chronograph and interrupter'is used, that is to say, the conductor connected to the positive pole-no longer leads through the firing tongues 0* and c butthrough a switch T direct to the damping motor D.

The switch T ermits of simultaneous make and break of both circuits. 7

When the circuit is closed in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1,. the firing magnet is excited and the trigger lever a is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow at Under these circumstances owing to the positive connection between the trigger lever a and the centrifugal bolt H this latter is moved against the action of the spring J, until the stop 71.2 comes into contact with the base plate a and the movement is consequently suddenly checked, atthe same time the bolt K shoots forward owing to its momentum. If during this operation the roller P is opposite the bolt K. a point will be indented thereon by the said bolt. From the instant of the closing of the circuit up to the indentation of the point on the roller P a certain time elapses which will be termed hereinafter as the delay of the apparatus. In order to maintain the same conditions during the testing operation as when firing with live charge and projectile, this delay'must be brought into exact concordance with the total delay which occurs when The lever g is sowhich latter '13 located in the circuit of the electromagnet 1 (see Fig. 2). The gun barrel is then so adjusted that the point of the bolt K is opposite the free end 9 of the lever Q3 and the main switch G is thrown into action. The clockwork movement of the chronograph is next set in motion, so that the stylus r at first traces a straight line r on the paper strip 1. Both circuits are now simultaneously closed by the switch T, whereupon the stylus r is moved at right angles to the direction of movement of the paper strip under the action of the electromagnet 1, so that a double kink is produced in the line r as shown at Fig. 2. As the circuit of the firing magnet a is also closed by the switch T as already stated, thebolt K will be shot forward at a definite time after the circuit has been closed, its point will strike up against the free end 9 of the lever and the circuit of the chronograph will be broken. The continued breaking of the circuit is maintained by means of an arrangement which is not shown. The instant the circuit is broken the carrier with the stylus r is again pushed by the spring 1"? into its original position, so that once more a double kink is produced in the line W. The straight portion 7 of the line a"? produced while the circuit is closed and shifted at right angles to the direction of movement of the paper strip r to correspond to the stroke of the carrier serves to measure the delay of the apparatus. If -it-be found from this measurement that this delay is not equal to the total delay which occurs when firing with live ammunition, the tension of the spring E attached to the lever a may be altered by turning the milled head f until a freshmeasurement indicates a closer agreement between the. delay of the apparatus and the total delay. The small difference still existing is compensated by manipulating the screw cap a and thereby increasing or diminishing the tension of the spring J. When the delay of theapparatus has been finally adjusted the interrupter Q is again replaced by the roller P with its stylus 12 and the arrangement of connections according to Fig. 1 made up.

The testing of the apparatus can now proceed, a definite range of target being assumed. The roller P is first rotated so that the stylus a bearing on its external surface traces a line thereon concentric with the roller P, which will be termed the zero line. The holder is then so adjusted on the guide rib M that the zero line and the point of the bolt K are exactly opposite each other, when the gun barrel is elevated to correspond to the range of the target. When carrying out the testing operation, the firing apparatus is operated in the same way as when firing with live ammunition. First of all therefore the attachment arm B and consequently the firing tongue 0 mounted on the casing have imparted to them the elevation corresponding to the range of the target. When this is done let it be'assumed that the firing tongue came into the position denoted by 11 at Fig. 1. By suitable lateral pressure on one of the Cardan rings care is taken that the sighting line of the telescope is permanently trained on the target and the firing tongue 0 retains its position unaltered, and the main switch is then thrown into operation and the elevating gear set in motion. The elevation is carried out at a constant velocity. During this time the firing tongue 0 travels in the direction of the arrow 3 and the instant when the two firing tongues c and 0 are in contact the circuit is closed, after the firing tongue 0 has been previously automatically adjusted to the angle of preliminary ignition dependent on the speed of rolling and the total delay. The shooting forward of the bolt K does not however take place at this instant but only after the lapse of the previously adjusted delay of the apparatus. During this the gun barrel is still further elevated at a. constant velocity. It therefore the apparatus is free from error, the bolt K indents a point on the roller P at the instant the barrel has the exact elevation imparted to it corresponding to the range of the target, and according to what has been hereinbeiore stated this point must lie on the zero line. In the manner described several points are indented on the roller P after each slight rotation thereof. The record thus obtained affords an accurate determination of the firing apparatus. If the points indented lie on the zero line or only slightly removed therefrom within permissible limits then the apparatus is in order. If on the other hand the divergencies exceed the permissible amount there are errors in the apparatus.

It is clear without any further explanation, that the apparatus described is also suitable for carrying out practices.

Claims:

1. An arrangement of the class described fortesting an electrical gyroscopic firing apparatus used in combination with a gun provided with a firing magnet which com prises a record indicating means positioned so as to be adjacent the breech end of the gun when the gun reaches an elevation corresponding to the range and means disposed in the breech end of the gun and operated by the firing magnet for initiating the record upon said record indicating means.

2. An arrangement for testing an electrical gyroscopic firing apparatus used in com bination with a gun provided with a firing magnet comprising an adjustably mounted record indicating means,'said record indi cating means being so disposed that it will lie immediately adjacent the breech end of the gun when the gun has reached an elevation corresponding to a pre determined range, a recording apparatus mounted in the breech end of the gun and cooperating with said record indicating means and means operated by the firing magnet for causing said recording apparatus to function.

3. The combination with a gun barrel provided with a firing magnet and a pair of firing tongues of an arrangement for test ing an electrical gyroscopic firing apparatus, said arrangement comprising a sector shaped guide member, a holder adjustabl positioned thereon, an interrupter carried by said holder, a chronograph, said chronograph and interrupter being electrically connected, a record member adapted to replace said interrupter and means mounted in the breech end of the gun and operatable by the firing magnet for causing said interrupter to function and for initiating a record upon said record member.

4. An arrangement of the class described for testing an electrical gyroscopic firing apparatus used in connection with a gun barrel provided with a pair oi firing tongues electrically connectpd to a firing magnet. said arrangement comprising a centrifugal bolt mounted in the breech end of the gun. a trigger lever operatively connected thereto, said trigger lever being operated by said firing magnet, a sector-shaped member disposed at the rear of the gun, holder ad just-ably secured to said sector-shaped mem ber whereby said holder will be immediately 7 adjacent the breech end of the gun when the gun has reached an elevation correspondin to a predetermined range, a record device removably carried by said holder whereby said record device will be acted upon by said centrifugal bolt when said firing magnet has operated said trigger lever.

The foregoing specification signed at Kiel, Germany, this 22nd day of June. 1920.

AUGUST voN APPEL In presence of- F. PUDMAX, R. FISCHER. 

